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| Mac | 19% | 35 votes | Total: 186 votes | |
| PC | 81% | 151 votes |
Mac
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Add to FavoritesHaving never owned a Mac myself, I've never really had the chance to make an unbiased judgdement. Saying that, I am hopefully going to purchase a Mac of my own in the coming months. Why? For the user interface, the design, the programs and for the style. Notice gaming doesn't appear in that list. I have rather left the gaming scene apart from waiting for some releases soon.
In my opinion, gaming on a PC is a right pain. There are so many different things that can go wrong, it's unbelievable. Half the time you get no error message, no help and you have no idea what the problem is. Installing things on PCs can also be a pain, unlike Mac OS X, Windows doesn't update all links automatically, which causes mayhem.
I use Ubuntu Linux and gaming on Linux seems rather boringly easy compared to Windows a lot of time, despite what many people might say. Mac OS X is built on the most solid UNIX system,compared to Window's Windows system. UNIX being the system behind Linux as well, the two are quite similar. So gaming on a Mac.
Macs are simple and easy to use and one huge huge feature is the ability to end a program without causing the computer to crash. You can do that on a PC, you might say. Well not in the same way and certainly not as effectively. Gone are the days of the OS becoming unstable because of a buggy app Mac. OS X and Linux are stable no matter what in most cases. This makes gaming far more reliable on a Mac.
Another thing people use against Macs is that they are hard to customise and not upgradable. In terms of gaming support, this makes a huge difference as the person on the end of the phone or e-mail knows exactly what components you have, what part code and everything. You don't have to spend hours doing a DXDIAG as the information is already there as long as you haven't frankensteined your Mac. This gives a huge, often untalked about boost to the whole gaming on a Mac experience.
Finally, one issue is the amount of games available. Admittedly, the range for Macs isn't as vast as for a PC, but the top games are often represented such as Call of Duty and The Sims. Gaming need not be a chore and when you consider what else you get, a Mac is a seriously good option for choosing your next gaming setup although it does come with a few problems. Hopefully in the future Apple will be able to get lots of support from game studios and we can see a move away from traditional PC gaming into a new age.
Learn more about this author, David Pickett.
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PC
Being a PC Gamer, I obviously would choose a PC computer over a Mac in terms of gaming capabilities any day. If you take time to compare the specs of an Apple iMac desktop to an average gaming computer, you would find, much to your surprise, that the average high-end gaming PC is much stronger and better for gaming than anything Apple has to offer. The average Apple iMac comes equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz processor, which is not very fast compared to what's out there on the market, with the ability to expand it to a 3.06GHz processor for an extra cost.
Core 2 Duos are fairly decent processors, being that they have 2 processors working together instead of 1, but compared to the new Quad Cores and Intel i7s, the Core Duo just doesn't stand a chance, unless overclocked to insanely high numbers (which would also require a complete system re-do). The iMac also comes equipped with a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card with only 356mb of memory; the word "9400M" means that it is a mobile graphics card, which is less powerful and commonly found in laptops. Now, you may think that 256mb is a lot just for graphics memory, but if you plan on playing a flight simulator such as FSX, or games such as Call of Duty and Crysis, you should aim for at least a 512mb graphics card, such as the 8800GT (which is what I currently use).
If you really want to deck out your system, you can put dual graphics cards in (if it's SLI enabled), for twice the video memory. You probably won't be able to do this with a Mac unless you have some skill with taking apart components and rebuilding the computer. Of course there is the option to have an ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb GDDR3 graphics card put in, at an extra cost, but even that can't compete with most of the new systems and upgrades available for PCs nowadays. In truth, a Mac is just a bit too expensive, and not quite good enough to perform up to par with its hefty price of around $2,000 or more. If you're looking for a computer that is truely built for gaming, with that sole purpose in mind, do not stray off the path of buying a PC, as they can be upgraded with ease as new components arrive on the market, and allow you to save some money in the process of buying.
I would suggest something such as a Gateway FX series desktop (I use one) or a Dell XPS 720 or 630, both of which you can fully customize to meet your needs in both price and performance. If you're looking for something to edit photos with, then you can consider a Mac, but as far as gaming capabilities go, the iMac simply can't stay up to date with the new computers being built today. If you use a Mac, and find that it works just fine, then good for you, but if you just can't afford to waste money on unnecessary components and features, steer clear of Macs and aim for a cheap, yet customizable desktop with at least 3GB of RAM, a Quad Core Processor (preferably), and anywhere from 512mb to 2GB of video memory if you really wish to dominate the playing field. In conclusion, if you really want a Mac, to use for casual to medium-level gaming, then go for it. But, if you want a computer that will last and stay up to par with the other guys out there, then go for a PC that is specifically meant for gaming and nothing else.
Learn more about this author, Marc Zimmerman.
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